Edge of Her Heart
by Aerois
Summary: It was strange, really- how did someone like Julius end up falling for someone like Candace, and vice versa? The people of Castanet couldn't help but question the strange pair. The two could recall many moments in their relationship, but some truly stood out... And those memories made the answer. Response to Let Love In's challenge.
1. Calendar

Welcome to my answer to Let Love In's challenge! I've chosen to use Candace and Julius as my couple for the duration of this story, and I hope you'll stick around and read it. :) The chapters for this story will be short, or at least much shorter than Upside Down's chapters. This story is meant to be more of a collection of drabbles than anything, nothing overly intricate. Picture belongs to LanternLeaf on Deviantart. :)

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Julius paced over to his calendar sitting on the far right section of his kitchen counter and grabbed it with eager hands. He had to be sure he wasn't dreaming- he just _had_ to. Spotting the date and seeing the big red heart marked through it, he let out and ecstatic laugh.

It was almost unreal. The next morning when he woke up, he was getting married. _Married._ As he set the calendar back down and made way to his bedroom, he couldn't help thinking that the next day couldn't come soon enough. He was so close, it was almost like torture.

Maybe any other man would be afraid, he contemplated. It certainly seemed that way. Men were often stereotyped to be anxious, and party their "last night of freedom" away with generous amounts of alcohol and questionable entertainment. Julius himself was never partial to such activities, much to the disappointment of the local bachelors. Somehow, he couldn't feel the fabled "cold feet" for the step he would take tomorrow. While others may have mistook his admittedly feminine nature for making him so eager to be wed, Julius believed it was his deep love for Candace that made him so ready and fearless.

Just thinking of his betrothed; her sparkling, sapphire eyes, her quaint smile, and her smooth voice that flowed into his ears like cool waters made him all the more excited. He had found the girl of his dreams, the love of his life, once more. It was frightening to think that he had almost lost his chance with her all those years ago, when they were small.

"Ah, what a fool I was!" he sighed to himself dramatically, nonetheless smiling, as he flung himself onto his bed.

Peering up at his ceiling and trying to get an ounce of sleep, his mind wandered back to those days, and everything in between that lead him to this moment.

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So, what do you think? :) By the way, these chapters will be in chronological order, so the rest of this story will somewhat be flashbacks, and then tied together at the end.

All kinds of reviews would be welcome. Thanks for reading!


	2. Mud Pies

HAY GAIZ I GOTZ NU CHYAPTURR :D Oh funny thing- Was I the only one who noticed that the word count for the last chapter was precisely 444 words? I hear that's like 666 in Japan... So sorry for anyone who might've been creeped out! This one's now 666. O_O

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A small, mousy little girl sat hunched over in the grass behind the school building, trying her best to disappear. Images of the tall, mean girl with ruby eyes, pointing and laughing, flashed through her mind. "You're so _ugly_!" the strangely boyish voice cried mockingly. "Why are you wearing that dorky jacket? It's so _dumb_ looking! And_ look _at those braids, you look like Heidi or something!" she taunted with a shrill laugh.

Candace hiccuped, trying to hold back the hot tears rolling down her rosy cheeks. Why was Juli so mean to her? As far as Candace could remember, she had been nice to everyone she had met at school. Being bullied by the purple- haired girl in her class had all but broken Candace, who was so eager to begin school and make friends with the other kids. "I just don't understand," she sniffed miserably.

"Oh, well _there's _a surprise," taunted a familiar, haughty voice. Candace's head shot up, her eyes wet with tears but nonetheless hardened with determination and anger. "_Go away_, Juli! Find somebody else to pick on, or I'm telling!"

Juli rolled her eyes and propped one hand on her hip. "Puh-lease!" she drawled, "_As if _you'd ever have the guts to tell. Nobody would believe you anyway."

Her face twisted with rage, and Candace jumped to her feet. "I would _too_! You leave me alone, Juli! You're just a big, stupid, _bully_! I'm not afraid of you," she cried, her face wet with fresh tears.

Said bully crossed her arms over her chest, and cocked her eyebrow in amusement. "Oh, is that so? Well," she said lowly, scooping up a handful of mud from a nearby puddle, "You mean you won't be afraid of me if I do _this_?" and with a sudden fling of her arm, Juli catapulted a wet, smelly mud pie straight into Candace's hair.

A shriek echoed throughout the area as Candace felt the mud, cold and slimy, smack into her head and slither down to her back. She balled her small chubby hands into fists, trying to say something. To think of something, anything, to say or do. But she couldn't; she just hung her head, choked down a sob, and ran all the way home.

Luna watched her big sister as she sat perched on the countertop, Shelly working hard at scrubbing the almost dry mud out of her hair. As the dirt swirled down the drain, Luna couldn't help but feel angry. Whoever had picked on her must have been the meanest person in the world! How dare they do this to her sister? Even more upsetting was Candace's attitude. She did not shout, nor was she angry. She merely sat, shoulders slumped, already accepting defeat. _'Candi is always looking out for me, so why won't she stand up for herself?'_ Luna frowned._ '...Don't worry, big sis. When I start school, I'll keep all those bullies away, and make sure no one ever picks on you again!'_ the pinkette vowed. She kept her promise, even years and years later.

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I know it may be confusing because I refer to Julius as a girl in this chapter, but I only do that because this chapter is obviously leaning more towards Candace's POV. And of course, when Luna and Candace were kids, they thought Julius was a girl.

I hope my Luna's-inner-monologue at the end there was okay. I don't have much of a feel for her character, especially a younger version, so it was hard to write.


	3. Lock and Key

Got about half of this done, and then the power shut off and restarted. Damn you Hurricane Isaac! And here I thought you wouldn't hurt me... :( Hope I can remember what all I wrote.

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"C'mon, everybody!" yelled an excited Luna, "We're gonna have the cake now, so we all gotta sing Happy Birthday to Candace! Hurry up or you're not gettin' any cake!" Candace was seated at the head of the table, twiddling her thumbs and blushing under her guests' gazes. Luna zipped in, with the rest of the party behind her. Looking at everyone there, Candace felt overjoyed. Not only did her close friends come to her party, but so did all of her classmates. Well, almost everybody. Juli had recently moved away with her parents to some far away city.

_'No, don't think about her!'_ Candace reprimanded herself. _'Today is a happy day, so thoughts like that won't do any good.'_ When the group began singing, her face broke into a shy smile.

_"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Candace, Happy Birthday to you!"_

There was a commotion of cheers and clapping as the bluenette sucked in a breath and blew out the 10 candles on her cake. Shelly picked up an ornate silver cake cutter, and began delicately cutting each guest a piece. After everyone was done eating, Phoebe stood.

"Candi, come open your presents now! Hee hee, I bet you'll never guess what I got you!"

Candace grinned at her best friend. "Thank you Phoebe, and I can't wait to see what it is."

Soon enough, Candace was in a chair in the living room surrounded by colorful boxes and pretty ribbons. She went through each box, marveling at the lovely gifts. Luna had given her a beautiful pair of new shoes, Kathy had given her a cute bracelet, and most of the boys had given her things that their mothers had obviously picked out.

Candace finally lifted up a small, light green box with a white ribbon, and a tag that said _"From Phoebe- Happy Birthday Candi! BFFs forever."_ She looked back up to Phoebe, who was practically jumping in her seat.

"Open it, open it, open it!" she squealed. Candace couldn't help but giggle.

Seeing what lay in the box, she let out a gasp. "Phoebe... It's... it's beautiful!" What lay inside was a sparkling silver chain with two charms on it. The first charm was a sparkling lock with intricate swirls engraved into it. The second charm was a key, designed similar to the lock, and each part of the key had a unique and elegant shape.

"Thank you so much! I love it!" Standing up, she made her way to her friend and the two shared a warm hug. As soon as the two pulled away, Phoebe spun her around.

"Here, here, let me put it on you!" She brushed her braid over a shoulder, and went about fastening the necklace. "I was in the city with Mom a few weeks ago, and when I saw it in the store I just knew it would be perfect for you. There, all finished."

In a fashion that was purely her own, Luna grabbed at the charms dangling from her sister's neck and began to fawn over them. "Oh, Candi, they're so pretty!"

She laughed softly. Candace had learned long ago to deal with Luna's impulsive nature, and wasn't touchy about her tendency to grab things that weren't hers. The birthday girl stood patiently, giving Luna a chance to satisfy her curiosity.

"It's like something from a fairytale, you know, Candi? Hey, one day, when you're all grown up an' stuff an' you get married, you should give your husband the key!"

"That's a lovely idea, Luna," Candace said, though she never thought much about things like marriage. At least, not like the other girls did. She briefly wondered if that was something abnormal, but quickly forgot it.

Days passed, and for each one, Candace wore her precious treasure. However, on one sunny afternoon the chain caught on the branch of a tree she was climbing, an snapped. Chain and charms went flying, and she and Luna scrambled to find the missing pieces. They were able to recover the chain and the lock. The key could not be found, and Candace went home crying.

The distraught child returned to the place the next day, searching high and low for it, hoping it would turn up. At first, she was confident that she would find it. As time ticked on, however, Candace searched less and less. She eventually accepted that it was gone, though it pained her to do so.

Even when she'd grown up, she thought of the ornate key once in a while, still pristine and shining in her mind.

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What do you think? I know it might be a little hard to picture Candace climbing a tree, but I mean, she was more outgoing as a kid, right? Or maybe she wanted to watch some birds? I dunno. Part of me feels like the end of this chapter and the end of the last chapter are too similar, but I can't think of any other way to say it. Anybody got some tips? Gosh I ask a lot of questions. xD

I keep editing it, but I guess that's a good thing. Any kind of review is welcome!


	4. Daffodil

Let me begin by saying I am so sorry. College finals for my first semester, shopping because I'm in desperate need of new clothes, and the holidays have kept me away from this story, but I promise you I never forgot about it. As far as this chapter goes, it will be taking place in the past, when they are children, but happens a few years after. It will be one of the last events to happen chronologically during the childhood portion of the story, but later childhood chapters will probably take place before it.

Without further ado, enjoy!

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Candace was a very private person. It wasn't as though she had any deep, dark secrets, but she valued having certain barriers in life (some of which probably held her back, she admitted) to protect her sensitive feelings. Her diary was the most private aspect of these barriers, and not even the well-meaning, but somewhat nosy Luna dared to peek at its contents. But if she did—or anyone else, for that matter—she would most likely notice the old, dry daffodil pressed between the cover and first page…

"Juli? I don't understand… Why do you want to talk in private like this with me? Is something wrong?" The shy girl wrung her hands, face towards the dirt path beside the river in Flute Fields. It had been quite some time since they had first met, and though the two had never gotten along, each became a constant in the others life.

Julius was still mean, of course. Candace wasn't really sure why; in fact, neither was Julius. What was once a mutual dislike had transformed into something the two couldn't quite describe themselves. Somewhere along the way, Julius' insults started to hold a little less venom, and Candace would cry a little less each time. Having an actual friendship seemed impossible to both of them, though they never spoke about it. For Julius, he didn't know how to take back all the insults, or even how to stop. Like any young boy with his first crush, he was terrified that Candace would reject him and never speak to him again. How could he apologize, anyway? _"Hey, I know I've made the last few years of your life terrible and pretty much kept you from making any friends, but water under the bridge, am I right?"_ That would go over _really_ well. So with no other conceivable option to take, he went on bullying her like he always had. Candace seemed to take it in stride, and though the insults always hurt, she always held a small hope that somewhere deep down, Julius had never meant any of it. Maybe being nasty was just his nature. Luna would always scold her for justifying his behavior, but it became one of the few things Candace wouldn't budge on. Infuriated to no end, Luna blamed Julius for the whole situation and swore she'd never forgive him.

Candace stood, waiting for an answer, but Julius wouldn't look at her. "Juli? Are… are you okay?" she peeped.

"I'm leaving," he mumbled. Shocked, Candace's mouth fell open. He couldn't really mean what she thought he meant could he?

"Leaving? You mean you're… going away?" she asked. He nodded, digging a hole in the path with the tip of his boot. As he looked up, he noticed a lone daffodil growing next to Candace.

"My dad got a job in the city," he explained, "And we're gonna move there. I won't be coming to school here anymore because it's too far away. We're… we're leaving tomorrow," he choked, starting to lose his grip on holding back the tears behind his eyes.

Candace's eyes began to water as well. "Oh Juli," she gasped, and her heart went out to the boy she never could understand. "I… I can't believe it! I don't know what to say."

"Yeah, me neither," the purple-haired boy scoffed, followed by a large sniff.

For a few minutes they stood like that; silent and still, neither knowing quite what to do. Finally, Candace spoke up with a shuddering breath.

"Well… I know we weren't friends, but… I hope you do well in your new school. I'm sorry you have to go. I really am, Juli." She knew this was the end of it. He would never pick on her in the school yard again, never pull her hair again, never throw peas at her during lunch again. She felt terrible, but she was happy about that part. However, along with that came the knowledge that they would never get the chance to be friends now. She would never know why he acted the way he did toward her, and she would never get to see a genuinely happy smile from him. And even though she knew Luna would just about kill her for it, she found herself wishing he could stay.

For a moment his gaze softened with a touched expression, and he opened his mouth to speak. Candace wasn't prepared for what came out, though Luna would later tell her she should have been.

"I'm not," he spat coldly, and his face twisted into a scowl. His voice was thick with tears, but he swallowed down the lump in his throat. If he didn't say this, and say it now, leaving her would only hurt more. _'Hate me,'_ he wished to himself. _'Hate me, and forget about me. Don't miss me.'_

"In fact," he hiccoughed, "I'm g-glad that I'm moving."

Utterly confused, Candace tried to ask why but Julius didn't give her the chance.

"Cause then I'll… I'll n-never have to see your u-u-ugly face again!" he yelled.

"Juli! Juli, stop it! What's wrong with you?" the little girl cried.

His eyes flashed through the spilling tears, and he stomped towards Candace, fists balled at his sides. Heaving in a deep breath, he gave it everything he had.

"What's _wrong_ with me?! I hate you, that's what! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" he screamed, and he kicked the lone daffodil out of the ground as hard as he could.

Unlike any other time Julius picked on her, Candace didn't break down into tears. Not even a frown was on her face, and for the first time since the day they met, Candace was angry with Julius.

She gritted her teeth, puffed her chest out, and glared Julius down with the meanest look a girl her age had ever made. Candace was finally standing up for herself again, something she'd almost forgotten how to do.

"Fine then!" she yelled back, enraged. "Go then, move away, and don't come back! You're just a big stupid bully anyways! Go, see if I care!"

Julius cried, "Good!" and stormed off in tears. When Candace was finally able to calm down, she took a seat at the water's edge. She always loved things like rivers and oceans, perhaps because they were blue like her eyes and hair. Water was also calming. Some of her best memories were of playing in the water; taking huge bubble baths with Luna when they were toddlers, the first time their family went to the beach, and so many more.

As she sat on the bank, twisting the little daffodil between her fingers, she finally allowed herself to cry.

That was the last they saw of each other for years. Julius would later remember it with utter embarrassment as the biggest tantrum he'd ever thrown, and every now and then during those years without Candace he wondered if she ever realized he never meant it when he said he hated her—or any other mean thing he'd said, for that matter.

She did. As the sun began to set on the fields around her family's cottage, Candace made a wish on the first star that appeared in the milky twilight at the edge of the horizon. _'I wish I could see Julius again someday, and that we can be good friends.' _She lifted her head, unclasped her hands at her chest, and stood with renewed hope. Before going into the little house to get ready for supper, she gingerly plucked the daffodil from the ground beside her and smiled.

'_Really, really good friends…'_

* * *

Whoo! That took longer than expected. At first, this was supposed to be a light-hearted chapter where the two finally made up and parted on good terms, and Julius would give Candace the daffodil as a token of friendship and remembrance. But then he just started throwing a fit and I couldn't shut him up. Go figure! Merry Christmas guys, hope God blesses you all with happiness this year.

I know it's taken a long time to get another chapter out, but I hope you guys like this! Any reviews are welcome, even the mean ones. Tell me how I can improve, I promise I don't bite.


	5. Porcelain

Ahhh, I know, I know. It's been too long. Kinda put this on the back burner. I got no excuses, really. It's a bit harder to get this stuff going than I thought! Hope this isn't too short for how long I've been gone.

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Everyone had always compared Candace to porcelain. Precious and fragile; pale and hauntingly soulful. She was so quiet and delicate, with such alabaster skin and watery eyes that it made perfect sense to most people. But if anyone were to put them both side by side and look deep down—really, _really_ deep down, because it was hard to notice—they would see that the more "porcelain" one of the two was, and always had been, Julius.

He was very superficial after all, something that was obvious about the flamboyant, almost strangely feminine man. Since a young age, his image in the minds of others became his chief concern. _"Do I look good today?"_ he would often wonder to himself with a hidden insecurity. Though he walked into the door to Harmonica Town's one-room, all grades put into one session schoolhouse, and later through the frighteningly larger halls of the schools in the city, that seedling fear of rejection and ridicule was always in the back of his mind.

'_I shouldn't do this, I shouldn't do that; it would look stupid.' _

'_If I say that everyone will think I'm weird.'_

"But Mom! Everyone at school has one of these! It's not _fair_!" How many times had he thrown a tantrum like that?

Perhaps that was why he had always tried so hard at projecting this tough, daunting image. Maybe, in reality, he was too afraid to let others see just how much he cared. If someone ever figured it out, what would they do? The older he got, the more apparent that answer became. He'd seen it especially more after moving to the city. The best thing a kid could do was stand out like crazy, and you'd damn well better do it right because if you didn't, you'd be judged and ostracized for differences instead of admired and envied for it. Between these two sides of the spectrum was a wire-thin line. Treading it as carefully as possible was vital for social survival. There was no way he was going to be like the other kids, those ones who went home with bloody noses, black eyes, and wounded pride. He would be strong. He would beat others down and take power before it could be taken away. Nobody was going to grind him into dust like that, he was certain. Even if it meant becoming what he hated.

No; he'd hide that porcelain soul underneath layers of an icy heart. It was much safer that way.

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Damn, this sounds like freaking Squall Leonhart or something. Or maybe too much like Jamie. Hey, the whole purple hair thing- maybe they're related? Not sure where it came from, but Julius has a dark side! :O But as a psychology major, I used some of the knowledge I have learned about human emotion and child development to mold Julius's character a bit. Most of this is your average bully psychology that most kids who are bullies fall victim to.


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